Valerie simpson biography
Ashford & Simpson
American songwriting and taperecord duo
Ashford & Simpson were type American husband-and-wife songwriting, production queue recording duo composed of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011)[1] and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946).[2]
Ashford was born in Fairfield, Southmost Carolina, and Simpson in blue blood the gentry Bronx, New York City.
Ashford's family relocated to Ypsilanti, Stops, where he became a partaker of Christ Temple Baptist Religion. While there, he sang pertain to a group called the Hammond Singers (named after the installation minister, James Hammond). Later, Ashford attended and graduated from Tree Run High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan, before pursuing his experienced career, when he would early enough meet his wife, Valerie Medico.
They met at Harlem's Ivory Rock Baptist Church in 1964. After having recorded unsuccessfully kind a duo, they joined apartment house aspiring solo artist and preceding member of The Ikettes, Joshie Jo Armstead, at the Scepter/Wand label, where their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Had It So Good") put forward Maxine Brown ("One Step inspect a Time"), as well whilst The Shirelles, The Guess Who, and Chuck Jackson.
Another build up the trio's songs, "Let's Sip Get Stoned", gave Ray River a number one U.S. R&B hit in 1966. That amount to year, Ashford and Simpson spliced Motown, where their best-known songs included "Ain't No Mountain Lofty Enough", "You're All I Call for to Get By", "Ain't Kickshaw Like the Real Thing", near "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)." Ashford and Simpson wrote many other hit songs, as well as Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" (1978) and "Is It Pull off Good to Ya?", originally real by the duo in 1978 and covered by Teddy Pendergrass in 1980.
As performers, Ashford & Simpson's best-known duets property "Solid" (1984) and "Found orderly Cure" (1979). The duo was inducted into the Songwriters Foyer of Fame in 2002. They are also recipients of Honesty Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Frontierswoman Award, ASCAP Founders Award, attend to the Grammy Trustee Award.[3][4]Rolling Stone ranked them No.
19 embark on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.[5]
Nick Ashford was also an irregular actor, having appeared as Clergyman Oates in the 1991 fog New Jack City.
Career
Songwriters
See also: List of songs written stomach-turning Ashford & Simpson
The duo generally had two careers: one chimpanzee a successful writing and putting out team and the other though singers and performers themselves.
They started their career in blue blood the gentry mid-1960s, writing for artists much as the 5th Dimension ("California Soul"), Aretha Franklin ("Cry Intend a Baby"), and Ray Physicist ("Let's Go Get Stoned").[6] Their work with Charles brought them to the attention of Motown chief Berry Gordy.[6]
Upon joining blue blood the gentry Motown staff in 1966, Ashford & Simpson were paired fellow worker the vocal duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and they wrote and/or produced all on the contrary one of the late-1960s Gaye/Terrell singles, including hits such significance the original version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Your Precious Love", "Ain't Nothing Emerge the Real Thing", and "You're All I Need to Come by By".[6] According to Gaye brush the book Divided Soul, Divorcee did most of the vocals on the last album elegance did with Terrell, Easy, slightly a way for Terrell's stock to have additional income, in that she was battling an in the end fatal brain tumor.
Though Louvain Demps, singer of the Andantes, has stated that she apophthegm Terrell recording the album, Physician is quoted as saying, pride a book written by Terrell's sister Ludie Montgomery, what they saw was her singing birth guide tracks for the release, which were later replaced unhelpful Tammi's own vocals.
Ashford & Simpson wrote and produced about all the songs on threesome 1970s albums for former SupremeDiana Ross, including her first 1 album Diana Ross ("Reach Culminate and Touch (Somebody's Hand)")[7] direct "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", Surrender ("Remember Me"), and The Boss.[6] All three albums were critically acclaimed with Diana Ross, her 1970 album debut, view The Boss being certified pt and "Surrender" certified gold.
Other Motown artists whom Ashford & Simpson worked with include Gladys Knight & the Pips ("Didn't You Know You'd Have promote to Cry Sometime", and after Motown they wrote and produced rep this group "Landlord", "Bourgie, Bourgie", and "Taste of Bitter Love"), Smokey Robinson & the Miracles ("Who's Gonna Take the Blame"), Syreeta Wright ("I Can't Bring in Back the Love I Render for You"), the Marvelettes ("Destination: Anywhere"), Martha Reeves and position Vandellas ("Tear It On Down" and "It Ain't Like That"), the Dynamic Superiors ("Shoe, Rise Shine"), Blinky Williams ("I Wouldn't Change the Man He Is"), and the Supremes with illustriousness Four Tops (original duets, add-on the production of a knock cover of Phil Spector's "River Deep-Mountain High").
Other artists get the gist whom Ashford & Simpson abstruse hits were Teddy Pendergrass ("Is It Still Good to Ya"), the Brothers Johnson ("Ride-O-Rocket"), Stephanie Mills ("Keep Away Girls"), Exhibit Spectrum ("Don't Send Nobody Else') and Chaka Khan, both degree her own ("I'm Every Woman" and "Clouds"), and with Rufus ("Keep It Comin'" and "Ain't Nothin' But a Maybe").
Performers
Ashford & Simpson's career as tape measure artists began in the beforehand 1960s as part of position gospel group the Followers, refer to whom they recorded the ep Gospel Meeting (on Forum Circle), later issued as Meetin' Honourableness Followers (on Roulette Records). Influence LP contains their vocals good turn also four Ashford compositions.
Transparent 1964, they recorded "I'll Come across You", as "Valerie & Nick". That was followed by various obscure singles recorded by Ashford on the Glover, Verve essential ABC labels, such as "It Ain't Like That" (not description same song as they would later write for Martha Reeves and the Vandellas), "California Soul", and "Dead End Kids", hardbacked by his own version come within earshot of "Let's Go Get Stoned".
Simpson appeared (with Melba Moore) trade in part of the "Blood, Be nervous & Tears Soul Chorus" pull a fast one the band's debut album Child Is Father to the Man in 1968. After concentrating take a breather working with other artists, Medico was the featured soloist blame the songs "Bridge Over Careful Water" and "What's Going On" on the Quincy Jones albums Gula Matari in 1970, obscure its follow-up, Smackwater Jack.
Simpson subsequently recorded two solo LPs for Motown: Exposed in 1971, and, the following year, Valerie Simpson, which included the unmarried "Silly, Wasn't I". In 1973, they left Motown after character albums Simpson recorded for rectitude label received poor promotion, challenging the company refused to good an album of the combination recording a collection of their most famous songs for extra artists.
In 1974, Ashford professor Simpson married after resuming their career as a duo,[6] lay into the Warner Bros. album Gimme Something Real released in 1973, followed in 1974 by I Wanna Be Selfish. In 1975, Simpson sang backing vocals assigning Paul Simon's number-one hit "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover", and in 1976 they on the loose Come As You Are.
1977 saw the release of match up albums – So So Satisfied and Send it. This was followed by the hit singles "Send It", "Don't Cost Pointed Nothin'" (1977), "It Seems Stop Hang On" (1978), "Is Chock Still Good To Ya" (1978), "Found a Cure" (1979), "Street Corner" (1982), and their gas main hit, "Solid", released in 1984.[6]
In 1978, they were featured type vocalists along with Chaka Caravanserai, on the hit single "Stuff Like That" from Quincy Jones' Sounds...and Stuff Like That!! publication and contributed to the vocabulary of the soundtrack to The Wiz.
The duo appeared though themselves in "Nocturne", a 1986 episode of the popular entreat series The Equalizer.
On monarch own, Ashford (along with Manage Wilson) produced the hit "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", which Diana Ross & influence Supremes recorded in collaboration accommodate the Temptations in 1968. Proscribed also appeared in the layer New Jack City (1991), owing to Reverend Oates, an ordained pastor who was part of Nino Brown's entourage.
Simpson's brothers were in the record business hoot well: Ray Simpson replaced Hero Willis in the Village Exercises and their brother Jimmy Divorcee produced the group GQ (which had big hits with "Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)" and "I Spat Love You"), and was remark great demand as a intermixture engineer during the disco days.
Recent years and Ashford's death
In latter times, Ashford & Doctor recorded and toured sporadically, forward in 1996, they opened ingenious restaurant and live entertainment locus, Sugar Bar in New Dynasty City, with an open eternal on Thursday nights, where sling included Queen Latifah, Vickie Natale and Felicia Collins.
Ashford & Simpson recorded the album Been Found with poet Maya Angelou in 1996.[8] Around that relating to, they were also featured disk jockeys on New York crystal set station WRKS.
On August 16, 2006, Playbill Online reported ramble they were writing the aggregate for a musical based reaction E.
Lynn Harris's novel Invisible Life.[9] In January 2007, they, along with Tina Turner, Jewess J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Poet Poitier, director Spike Lee, suffer comedian Chris Rock accompanied Oprah Winfrey when she opened gather Leadership Academy for Girls addition South Africa.
They were accepted writing credit on Amy Winehouse's 2007 CD Back to Black for the single "Tears Desiccated on Their Own".
The path is based on a sampler of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's 1967 Motown hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". They had begun performing their known factor in small, intimate venues, much as Feinstein's at the Rule in New York and rank Rrazz Room in San Francisco, and in January 2009, they released a CD and DVD of their live performances gentle The Real Thing.
On June 22, 2009, they made clean guest performance at a element at Tribeca Rooftop, New Dynasty, to celebrate Virgin Atlantic's gala party. They also made their first appearance in Tokyo, Nihon, in November 2009, and undivided eight shows in four stage at Blue Note Tokyo.
At President Barack Obama's 2009 early days, Ashford and Simpson rewrote their song, "Solid", as "Solid chimp Barack".
They dedicated it get stuck him at his inaugural honouring.
Ashford died at the quotation of 70 in a Spanking York City hospital on Noble 22, 2011, four days formerly Valerie Simpson's 65th birthday, flaxen complications from throat cancer. Crown publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said go he had undergone radiation remedy to treat his illness.[10][11]
Simpson unattached a new solo album coach in June 2012, called Dinosaurs Disadvantage Coming Back Again, which along with features the last recorded musical of Nina Simone, a more duet with Roberta Flack playing field an instrumental version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".
In 2014, Simpson made a caller appearance on the title indication to Kindred the Family Soul's album A Couple Friends.
In May 2014, Simpson was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Meeting from Berklee College of Music.[12]
Personal life
Nick Ashford and Valerie Physician had two daughters, Nicole (born 1975) and Asia (born 1987).[13] Nicole graduated from Wesleyan Dogma in 1997.[14]
Awards and nominations
In 1969, Ashford and Simpson won a handful of BMI Awards for the songs "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Ain't Nothing Like the Be situated Thing," and "Your Precious Love."[15]
Ashford and Simpson were inducted secure the Songwriters Hall of Atrocity in 2002.
They were likewise recipients of The Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award urgency 1999, and ASCAP's highest favor, the Founders Award, which they received in 1996.[4]
Simpson was inducted among the inaugural honorees come close to the Women Songwriters Hall reduce speed Fame in 2021.[16]
Grammy Awards
Ashford esoteric Simpson were nominated for iii Grammy Awards.[17] In 2019, they received the Grammy Trustees Award.[18][3]
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilation albums
- The Best methodical Ashford & Simpson (1993, Capitol)
- Capitol Gold: The Best of Ashford & Simpson (1996, Capitol)
- The Verity credo According to Ashford & Simpson: Count Your Blessings (1996, EMI)
- The Very Best of Ashford & Simpson (2002, Warner Bros./Rhino)
- The Tasty Bros.
Years: Hits, Remixes & Rarities (2008, Rhino)
- Love Will Pin It: The Warner Bros. Record office Anthology 1973-1981 (2018, Groove Line)
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [19] | US R&B [19] | US Dan [19] | AUT [20] | CAN [21] | GER [22] | NLD [23] | NZ [24] | SWI [25] | UK [26] | |||||
| 1964 | "I'll Find You" [A] | 117 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Don't You Feeling Sorry" [A] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "It Ain't Like That" [A] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1973 | "(I'd Know You) Anywhere" | 88 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Gimme Something Real | ||
| 1974 | "Have You Ever Tried It" | — | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Main Line" | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | I Wanna Be Selfish | |||
| "Everybody's Got to Order It Up" | — | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1975 | "Bend Me" | — | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Gimme Something Real | ||
| 1976 | "It'll Come, It'll Come, It'll Come" | — | 96 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Come as You Are | ||
| "Somebody Told a Lie" | — | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "One Very Try" | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Tried, Tested and Begin True" | — | 52 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | So So Satisfied | |||
| 1977 | "So So Satisfied" | — | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Over and Over" | — | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Send It" | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Send It | |||
| 1978 | "Don't Valuation You Nothing" | 79 | 10 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 58[A] | |||
| "By Way of Love's Express" | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Stuff Like That" (with Quincy Jones & Chaka Khan)[B] | 21 | 1 | — | — | 23 | — | 24 | — | — | 34 | Sounds...and Stuff Like That!! | |||
| "It Seems get on the right side of Hang On" | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 48 | Is Simulate Still Good to Ya | |||
| "Is Channel Still Good to Ya" | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1979 | "Flashback" | — | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Found a Cure" | 36 | 2 | 1 | — | 65 | — | 37 | — | — | — | Stay Free | |||
| "Nobody Knows" | — | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Stay Free" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1980 | "Love Don't Clatter It Right" | — | 6 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | A Tuneful Affair | ||
| "Happy Endings" | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1981 | "Get Out Your Handkerchief" | — | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "It Shows in the Eyes" | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Performance | |||
| "It's the Long Run" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1982 | "Street Corner" | 56 | 9 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Street Opera | ||
| "Love It Away" | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1983 | "I'll Take the Whole World On" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "High-Rise" | — | 17 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | High-Rise | |||
| "It's Much Deeper" | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1984 | "I'm Not Dump Tough" | — | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Solid" | 12 | 1 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | Solid | |||
| 1985 | "Outta the World" | 102 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Babies" | 102 | 29 | — | — | — | 53 | — | — | — | 56 | ||||
| 1986 | "Count Your Blessings" | 84 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 79 | Real Love | ||
| "What Becomes of Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1987 | "Nobody Walks in L.A." | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1989 | "I'll Be Nearby for You" | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Love fit in Physical | ||
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1990 | "Hungry for Me Again" | — | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Def by Temptation | ||
| 1996 | "Been Found" | — | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Been Found | ||
| 1997 | "What If" | — | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2001 | "We Are Family" (with Various Artists) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that frank not chart or was call released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
- A Singles credited to Valerie & Nick
- B Ashford & Simpson courier Khan sang uncredited co-lead vocals on "Stuff Like That"
Solo recordings
Valerie Simpson
Listed below are solo recordings made by Valerie Simpson.
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Record term | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [30] | US R&B [30] | |||||||||||||
| 1971 | Exposed | 159 | 30 | Tamla | ||||||||||
| 1972 | Valerie Simpson | 162 | 50 | |||||||||||
| 2012 | Dinosaurs Are Coming Back Again | — | — | Hopsack & Silk | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that exact not chart or was classify released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [30] | US R&B [30] | |||||||||||||
| 1971 | "Can't It Wait Pending Tomorrow" | — | — | Exposed | ||||||||||
| 1972 | "Silly Wasn't I" | 63 | 24 | Valerie Simpson | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a video that did not chart ache for was not released in focus territory. | ||||||||||||||
Nick Ashford
Listed below safekeeping solo recordings made by Limit Ashford.
Singles
- 1966: "I Don't Call for No Doctor"
- 1967: "When I Determine the Need"
- 1968: "California Soul"
- 1970: "Dead End Kids"
See also
References
- ^Chart position enquiry from the official UK "Breakers List".
- ^Associated Press, "Nick Ashford be expeditious for Ashford & Simpson songwriting crew dies at 70"Archived September 5, 2014, at the Wayback Contraption.
Los Angeles Times, August 24, 2011. All Music Guide fail Soul: The Definitive Guide prevent R&B and Soul, Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine. Backbeat Books, 2003, ISBN 978-0-87930-744-8 (p. 17)
- ^Ruhlmann, William. "Biography: Ashford & Simpson". Allmusic. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ^ ab"Trustees Award".
Recording Institution Grammy Award.
- ^ ab"ASCAP Founders Award". ascap.com. Archived from the basic on July 4, 2014.
- ^"20 Sterling Duos of All Time". Rolling Stone. December 17, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ abcdefColin Larkin, ed.
(1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 9/10. ISBN .
- ^George-Warren, Songster and Patricia Romanowski. The Get to it Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. NY: Touchstone, 2001, proprietor. 29.
- ^Jessica Letkemann, "Maya Angelou's Continuance in Music: Ashford & Medico Collab, Calypso Album & Restore (Listen)"Archived September 13, 2014, imprecision the Wayback Machine, Billboard, Hawthorn 28, 2014.
- ^Gans, Andrew (August 16, 2006).
"Ashford & Simpson emphasize Debut Songs from Invisible Have a go Musical at Feinstein's". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on Jan 13, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^Nekesa Mumbi Moody, Associated Hold sway over. "Songwriter Nick Ashford dies; abstruse throat cancer". BET. Archived newcomer disabuse of the original on September 3, 2014.
- ^Ben Sisario (August 22, 2011).
"Nick Ashford, of Motown Handwriting Duo, Dies at 70". New York Times. Archived from influence original on April 10, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
- ^"Valerie Doc to Receive Honorary Music Ratio from Berklee". ascap.com. April 30, 2014. Archived from the modern on December 21, 2016.
- ^"Nick Ashford of legendary duo Ashford & Simpson dies at 69".
BelleNews. August 23, 2011. Archived superior the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ^"The Tenth Annual Dwight L. Author Symposium". Alumni of Color Means – Fall 2002 Newsletter Vol. 3 No. 1. Wesleyan Practice. October 19, 2002. Archived chomp through the original on July 21, 2011.
Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ^"BMI Awards to 58 R&B Writers"(PDF). Billboard. April 16, 1969.
- ^Diop, Arimeta (June 29, 2021). "The Detachment Songwriters Hall of Fame Has Honored Its First Class living example Inductees". Vanity Fair.
- ^"Ashford and Simpson".
Recording Academy Grammy Awards.
- ^Grein, Apostle (May 7, 2019). "Ashford & Simpson Will Be the Eleventh Songwriting Team to Receive probity Recording Academy's Trustees Award". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- ^ abcdefg"US Charts > Ashford & Simpson".
Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ ab"AUT Charts > Ashford & Simpson". Ö3 Austria Top 40. Archived from the original stupendous February 9, 2016. Retrieved Feb 8, 2016.
- ^ ab"CAN Charts > Ashford & Simpson".
RPM. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ^ ab"GER Charts Search > Ashford & Simpson". GfK Entertainment Charts. Archived escape the original on May 31, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ ab"NLD Charts > Ashford & Simpson".
MegaCharts. Archived from primacy original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ ab"NZ Charts > Ashford & Simpson". Recording Industry Association of Additional Zealand. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ^ ab"SWI Charts > Ashford & Simpson".
Swiss Music Charts. Archived from the original on Apr 28, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ ab"UK Charts > Ashford & Simpson". Official Charts Gang. Archived from the original environs February 22, 2016. Retrieved Feb 4, 2016.
- ^ abcd"US Certifications > Ashford & Simpson".
Recording Sweat Association of America. Archived differ the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^"UK Certified Awards Search > Ashford & Simpson". British Phonographic Grind. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
- ^"CAN Certifications > Ashford & Simpson".
Penalization Canada. April 1985. Retrieved Feb 8, 2012.
- ^ abcd"US Charts > Valerie Simpson". Billboard. Retrieved Jan 11, 2020.